Cracked Mask of Innocence
by yaoilovelove
Summary: After three years, Naruto is finally back in Konoha…where everybody hates him. He has no choice but to continue his act where nothing matters and hope that sooner or later, they'll accept him. AU, some OOC, M/M later on
1. -- : Prologue

Summary: After three years, Naruto is finally back in Konoha…where everybody hates him. He has no choice but to continue his act where nothing matters and hope that sooner or later, they'll accept him. AU, some OOC, M/M later on

Warning: bullying, violence, yaoi in later chapters

Naruto: 12

Shikamaru: 12

Kiba: 12

Sasuke: 12

"blah blah" – speaking

"_blah blah" _– thinking

OooOooOoOooOooO

"**Cracked Mask of Innocence"**

OooOooOoOooOooO

Chapter 0: _Prologue_

OooOooOoOooOooO

"Naruto…are you okay?" Kiba and Shikamaru were staring down at the slightly petite blonde. Sasuke was there too, though he was still as quiet as ever. They were seeing the Namikazes off since they were moving to Tokyo. They hadn't known the real reason for the move until now, right before their brother was going to move away.

Naruto was standing slightly off to the side, his face downcast as he stared at the ground. His small frame trembled slightly as he clutched his left arm with his right. The bruises from yesterday's beating were still sore. His eyes teared as he thought of how the others had looked at him in disgust.

The three boys were speechless as they watched the shivering blonde. They hated how weak and lifeless their brother looked, contrasting greatly with how cheerful he always acted…but that may have been just an act. When the four of them had become brothers in all but blood, they had sworn to protect each other no matter what, and here their youngest brother had been bullied right underneath their eyes.

"Naruto…gomen, we didn't protect you from the bullies." Shikamaru whispered as he moved to touch the blonde. Kiba and Sasuke moved slightly forward too, wanting to comfort the depressed blonde.

The young boy flinched before shaking his head back and forth furiously. "Iie, iie," he whispered, "it's not your fault. Don't blame yourself because of someone like m – "

Kiba grabbed Naruto's shoulders and shook him furiously until the blonde's head whipped back and forth. "Don't you dare say that, Naruto!" he yelled, "DON'T YOU DARE SAY 'FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME'!" He emphasized his last statement with a shake to the boy for each syllable.

Naruto cringed, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes as his wounds flamed up again. "K-Kiba…itei…" he whispered. "Gomene…gomene…"

Hearing this, Kiba was incensed. "What are you apologizing for?!" he yelled again, shaking the trembling blonde even harder. He was about to try and slap some sense into his brother, but a hand grabbed his wrist as an arm snaked around his stomach. Shikamaru held onto the furious boy, trying to calm him.

"Kiba, you're scaring Naruto…calm down," Shikamaru sighed. At the mention of said blonde, they both looked towards the younger boy.

Naruto was shivering in Sasuke's arms, his small hands fisting into the other boy's shirt. He trembled and his teeth chattered as tears rolled down his cheeks continuously. His eyes were blank and staring into nothing as he shuddered. "I-I'm s-s-sorry…o-onegai…d-don't hurt m-me anymore…" he whispered repeatedly.

Sasuke continued to hold the trembling boy as the other two gathered around Naruto. They watched with worried eyes as the blonde slowly began to calm down. Kiba was quiet, completely different from his usual brash and loud self. Little by little, the petite blonde calmed down and slowly released his grip on Sasuke's shirt.

Sniffling slightly, Naruto sat up, hating himself for the show of weakness around his brothers. He had to act strong so they wouldn't worry. His eyes widened in panic as he saw his parents leaving the house with the last of their boxes. Quickly, he stood up and rubbed furiously at his face and eyes in order to completely erase any evidence that he had been crying.

The small blonde turned to face his brothers and smiled at them. It was slightly forced, but the love that was in it was real. "I'll be fine, Shika-nii, Kiba-nii, Sasu-nii. Onegai, don't worry about me." He said, "I hope I see you guys again."

"'Course we will, usuratonkachi. Don't worry about it." The three of them knew that their blonde otouto was far from fine, but they had to bend to his wishes if the other didn't want them to worry about it.

Naruto seemed to ponder for a second before grinning and bouncing forward. "You have to email me, neh, neh? Onegaiii~" He gripped their hands between his small ones and smiled winningly at them.

"Sure, Naru-chan." Shikamaru promised, squeezing back. Naruto pouted slightly at the use of "-chan" with his name, but let it pass.

"Wheee~ I can't wait!" Naruto gripped his brother's hands even tightly and spun them all around. Damn, he still surprised the other three with his super strength all the time. Naruto finally released their hands and bounded backwards before spinning in a circle.

"See you!" Naruto waved his small arms furiously and bounced towards his parents, who were already waiting in the car. The other three smiled and waved back at the now energetic blonde. They watched sadly as their otouto climbed into the car, which zoomed away.

The three had just turned to leave, about to head back to their respective homes…when they heard a loud screech and a crash. They stiffened and their heads whipped around to gape in the direction that the Namikaze family had gone in. They stayed frozen for another moment before running off towards where the crash had sounded. The three boys skidded to a stop at the scene before them.

A truck was on its side, smoking from the engine, indicating that it was about to explode. It was what was beneath it that caused the three to pale and freeze. Underneath the truck was the car that they had just seen off a few minutes ago.

"U-uso," Shikamaru whispered, "This can't be happening…it can't. H-how…" The usually calm boy felt his knees buckle as panic overtook him. A rough shake to his arm from Sasuke broke him out of his stupor.

"Call the police." The pale, dark haired boy ordered firmly. "They should be able to help. We should try and see if…if they're still alive." His voice faltered towards the end, but he refused to lose his cool. At the rather shaky nod from his two brothers, he headed towards the truck and ducked his head at the smoke.

Before he could get any closer though, he heard sirens coming closer. Just as he looked up, two police cars and two ambulance vans squealed into the intersection. A fire truck was close behind. Four policemen climbed out of their cars as the firefighters began to spray the smoking truck down with water.

Seeing that help was here, Sasuke immediately vaulted backwards from the truck. He stood together with Kiba and Shikamaru as the smoke from the ruined truck slowly dwindled and went out. As soon as the smoke disappeared, five workers from the ambulances ran towards the smashed car.

A few tense minutes passed with the three boys gripping each others' arms. Dread filled them at the shout one of the workers directed at the policeman. "We have two dead and one fatally injured. We have to try to get out the injured from the car before we remove the deceased. The rear door of the car is barely damaged; we should be able to remove the injured boy without much difficulty." A nod came from one of the policemen and the workers proceeded to open the door of the car.

The three boys felt weak as they saw the small body being carried out of the car. The blonde hair was matted with so much blood that it was almost completely red. The small frame was crumpled; tattered clothes barely hung onto the small boy's frame.

They didn't feel themselves moving until they had nearly reached the workers. "P-please, is our brother alright?" Kiba asked desperately. Their eyes were fixated on the unmoving blonde.

"Brother?" the medic questioned.

They nodded. "Naruto is our brother in all but name and blood." Shikamaru stated firmly. "Please, can we go to the hospital with him?" The medic considered for a moment before jerking his head in affirmative. "Get in the van," he ordered gruffly, but rather kindly.

OooOooOoOooOooO

Kiba was pacing back and forth, almost wearing a path in the pale carpet of the hospital hallway. Sasuke was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed; he almost seemed to be sleeping. Shikamaru was the only one sitting; he was leaning forward, with his elbows resting on his knees as his fingers formed a sort of circle. His eyes were also closed – he seemed to be sitting in quiet contemplation. Overall, it was a rather peaceful picture…minus the pacing part.

This scene was shattered when the door of the emergency room next to them slid open. They all jumped, two towards the door, the other, out of his seat. The doctor held up his hands in an attempt to placate them. "It's alright, his wounds looked worse than they really are."

The three boys relaxed visibly and sighed in unison. "So how is he?" Shikamaru asked.

"He has two cracked ribs, a broken arm, and some wounds on his face that will scar. Other than that, however, he only has slight bruises and scratches all over. The ribs should heal in about three weeks, and the broken arm about two months." The doctor stated, expecting a ruckus. However, he was quite shocked by the boy's reactions.

"Phew, he's perfectly fine then. The recovery should only take two weeks or so, including his arm." Kiba exclaimed, mainly in relief.

"He's always recovered about four to five times faster than any normal person." Shikamaru explained to the doctor, who had a dumbfounded expression on his face. "Is he conscious yet?"

The doctor shook his head in the negative. "We gave him some anesthesia for when we reset his arm. The effects will wear off in another hour or so."

Kiba once again piped up, almost cheerfully. "That'll take him about ten minutes or so." Shikamaru nodded again towards the, once again, dumbfounded doctor. Sasuke just smirked.

"Are you making fun of me, boys?" The doctor seemed to be getting angry. "I won't believe this. No human can do that." His voice slightly faltered as he met three pairs of flat stares.

"Then we'll see in ten minutes or so, shall we? Whether or not we're joking…" Sasuke scowled.

OooOooOoOooOooO

_Two weeks later…_

"How are you, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked. The blonde had made a full physical recovery, but the other three boys had no idea about what his mental state was like. The younger boy had gone into shock at the news of his parents' deaths, and had been rather quiet ever since.

Naruto was quietly tracing his new scars. They were whisker-like marks – three on each side of his face. He was glad he had them…this way he would never forget about his parents. He knew his brothers were worrying about him, but he knew, that with time, he'd slowly recover.

The blonde boy smiled at his brothers. It was a small smile, but it was progress since it was the first smile they had seen since the accident. And now, they were seeing the blonde off at Konoha Airport for his flight to Tokyo. If only the four of them could spend more time together.

"I'll be fine," the blonde replied quietly. "I'm gonna be with baa-chan and ero-sannin. I just have to hope that they don't end up starving me to death because they can't cook and they only gamble and drink." The other three snickered at his statement…though the sad thing was that it was true.

[In Tokyo, Tsunade and Jiraiya sneezed simultaneously.]

The three boys crowded Naruto, hugging him and wishing him good luck. They exchanged their goodbyes and Naruto turned away to walk towards the checking station.

"Naruto," Shikamaru called. The blonde looked back, questioning. "You remember that you'll always have a home here, Naru-chan." A sad smile crossed the smaller boy's face and the other three knew just what he was thinking. If he had a choice, the other wouldn't be coming back – not with all these memories in Konoha.

Naruto turned and walked towards the terminal. The three behind him watched as he walked further away. His back looked so small and so lonely. There seemed to be no one around him at all.

That lonely back would stay ingrained in their memory for years…

OooOooOoOooOooO

A/N: I hoped you guys enjoyed this. I wasn't going to do something like this, but now I have some sort of half formulated plan going on in my head. If you've read any of my other stories, trust me on the fact that I'm working on them. I've just hit a sort of wall on them and I'm super busy with high school stuff. Dx

Tata~ I'm out.


	2. i : His Return

Summary: After three years, Naruto is finally back in Konoha…where everybody hates him. He has no choice but to continue his act where nothing matters and hope that sooner or later, they'll accept him. AU, some OOC, M/M later on

ItaNaru; one-sided SasuNaru, KibaNaru, and ShikaNaru (though these three are more like overprotective big brothers with an innocent little sister); KakaIru; NejiGaara; Kiba, Sasuke, and Shikamaru will have relationships eventually, though I am not sure which people yet.

Warning: bullying, violence, yaoi in later chapters, cursing (language)

Naruto: 15

Shikamaru: 15

Kiba: 15

Sasuke: 15

"blah blah" – speaking

"_blah blah" _– thinking

OooOooOoOooOooO

"**Cracked Mask of Innocence"**

OooOooOoOooOooO

Chapter One: _His Return_

OooOooOoOooOooO

_Three years later…_

A figure was atop the roof of an executive building in Konoha. His hands were on his hips and he was leaning back slightly. He seemed to take in a deep breath, as if smelling the environment itself.

"After three years…I'm back, huh? I never thought I'd come back again." The whisper seemed to carry itself on the wind, and it floated away as if it had been nothing but a memory…

OooOooOoOooOooO

The day started out as usual, the classroom full of noisy teenage boys and girls chatting with each other about the latest gossip, latest designs and fashions, and the latest scandals. Three boys were sitting together in the back corner, all three staring out the window in a comfortable atmosphere.

A few sharp claps brought their attention back to the front of the room and their gazes fixed on the brunette teacher at the front. Iruka-sensei coughed once to quiet down the still noisy class. The noise level barely dropped and he closed his eyes in exasperation as a small tick formed above his left eye. A few more seconds passed before he snapped.

"WOULD YOU BE QUIET FOR ONCE SO I CAN TALK?!" his bellow rang across the room and silenced the class immediately. "Now…I have some news for you–"

A chuckle sounded, seeming to resound within the room and interrupting Iruka-sensei in whatever he had been about to say. The class looked around in confusion…where was the laughter coming from? No one in the class was chuckling.

"Wh–" a kid started to ask, but was interrupted again. The door slid open, as if on cue, and a slim figure stepped in.

"I see you're still the same as ever, Iruka-sensei." The voice was melodic, quiet and seemed to be full of harmony. The class was still deathly quiet, and it seemed as if no one was about to talk again soon. Iruka grinned sheepishly at the speaker, shocking the class even more. Iruka-sensei…_sheepish_?

The three that had been staring out the window had bolted upward at the entrance of the new figure. Their eyes were now fixated upon that person. Could…_could it be_?

"I'd like to introduce to you a new member of your class, who transferred here from Tokyo due to personal reasons. I hope you will all treat him as you treat each other and that you will get along." Iruka's was firm, leaving no room for opposition. He turned to the new member and said, "Naruto, why don't you introduce yourself for now?"

"Neh, Iruka-sensei…didn't you just do it for me?" Naruto grinned at the now flustered teacher. "Iie, never mind. It seems you are as absentminded as always." Smatters of laughter floated across the room at the playful teasing of the usually stern teacher. The kids were all seeing a new side of a teacher that had never tried to screw with.

Iruka scowled at the blonde. "Shut up and introduce yourself already, Naruto." A grin was the reply from the blonde.

"Sure, sure, Iruka-sensei." Naruto snickered before turning to face the class. "Yo, name's Naruto like Iruka-sensei here said. The reason why I get to screw with him is 'cuz he's my godfather, so if any of you try to screw with him, I won't forgive you." This was all said with a cheerful smile that caused a shudder to run through the spines of many in the class.

"N-Naruto…you're back?" One of the three figures that had been in the back was stuttering. The other two were still dumbfounded.

Naruto looked over at them and something unidentifiable flashed through his eyes before he grinned cheerfully at them. "Yo, Shika-chan, Ki-chan, Sasu-chan." Titters spread at the nicknames for the three boys. Shikamaru, Kiba, and Sasuke silenced the laughter with glares.

A moment passed as the four boys stared at each other. (Namely, the three staring at Naruto and Naruto staring back.) Something seemed to pass between them, a silent agreement to talk about it later and they all relaxed. Naruto smiled at them and the three responded in kind before sitting down.

"Glad you're back, Naru-chan." Shikamaru smiled.

Two girls, Sakura and Ino, had been watching the silent exchange. It infuriated them to see the blonde be accepted so easily by the three boys who were a part of the group dubbed 'The Princes', which were the top five hottest boys in year 1. They'd been trying to seduce the three and had jumped at the chance when they had been placed in the same class during the first semester. They were well into the third and last semester and had had no progress at all. And now this ugly blonde kid had wormed his way into their favor.

"Wait a second," Sakura whispered. "That's Naruto…he's that disgusting boy who curses people isn't he? And he heals faster than any human, so he's not human either." She was whispering to Ino, but her whispers were loud enough for almost everyone in the class to hear it, even Naruto.

"Eeeeeh? What do you mean?" Ino whispered back furiously. The kids around the two girls leaned closer, trying to hear more clearly.

"Well, I've heard that he can curse people. A few of my classmates in elementary school all had really bad accidents when they were around him. Things happened like shelves falling on you, nearly falling down the stairs, and getting really sick. And I heard that his parents died in a car accident and he was in the car too but was perfectly fine!" Sakura replied, her voice loud enough that it couldn't be called whispering anymore.

"OI!" Sasuke snarled at the two girls, "What the fuck do you mean by that?" He was standing up, his fists clenched. He glared at the now cowering girls. How dare those bitches insult Naruto, _his Naru-otouto_?

Naruto had heard the whole exchange between the two girls and he vaguely recognized the pink haired one and one of those who had bullied him back then. He couldn't help the flash of pain that crossed his eyes, but controlled himself before his emotions got too out of hand. It would probably be better if he acted as if he didn't know what was going on so he could calm Sasu-nii and the others down.

Tilting his head to the side slightly, he smiled innocently, "What are you guys talking about? What happened?" He didn't want a fight to break out because of him. His eyes darkened a bit; he had seen far too much pain and violence already.

"It's nothing, Naru-chan. Just that some girls are being bitchy because they're jealous that you're so cute." Shikamaru teased the slim blonde, relieved that the other hadn't heard the exchange.

"Eeeeeh? Don't call me 'Naru-chan', Shika-chan!" Naruto whined, pouting cutely. Laughter rose up around them as the other kids watched the battle of the '-chan's'. Thankfully, the tense atmosphere was gone from now.

"Well, it's true!" Sakura yelled, standing up and clenching her fists. "Everyone who went to the Academy knows that he's nothing but a monster!" She pointed at the blonde furiously, angry that The Princes were one his side.

The class stared at Naruto who lowered his head so that his bangs covered his eyes. He looked back up and the others felt their breath leave their bodies at the raw pain on his face.

"I think you forgot to mention the bullying, Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled bitterly at the look of shock on the girl's face. "Yes, I still remember, especially the fact that you were one of those people who tried to push me off the roof of the Academy, which was six floors high." Silence spread through the classroom, horror soon following at the fact that one of their classmates had tried to murder this sweet, innocent blonde in front of them.

Kiba, Shikamaru, and Sasuke were silent. They hadn't known the full details of Naruto's bullying and they hadn't expected something to this degree.

Sakura cringed at the glares being directed towards her. She was shocked as even Ino, her best friend, moved away from her. Soon enough, there was a wide circle around. She let her head fall down, knowing that she would be ostracized for the rest of her school years.

"Neh, Sakura-chan," Naruto walked forward so he was only a few feet from the pink haired girl and stretched his hand out. "Can we start over? Can we be friends, maybe?" He didn't want any more bullying to occur, and he really wanted to put everything in the past…so maybe they really could start over and become friends, or at least friendly classmates. He didn't want to do something that would cause someone pain.

Sakura stared at the blonde in front of her. He was trying to give her a second chance? Yeah, right. More like he was humiliating her, then offering her help so she'd act like a whipped dog. '_Not gonna happen,"_ she thought, _'not for a monster like him._'

Sakura glared at the blonde in front of her and slapped away his outstretched hand. "You want me to be friends with you? A monster? Not gonna happen!" she screeched and stepped forward before slapping him. She turned and stomped away until three figures stepped in her path.

"Move out of my wa –" her voice died in her throat as she realized that it was The Princes who were in front of her. Sasuke was glaring at her and even the lazy genius, Shikamaru was glaring. But it was Kiba who stepped forward and began yelling at her.

"After all the bullying and pain you inflicted on Naru-chan, you still can't give it up? Fuck, what the fuck?" he yelled. "You shouldn't be in this class, because there's no room for bitches here."

Incensed, Sakura couldn't help but yell back. "Why are you protecting a monster like him? He's a monster, he doesn't deserve protection!" Her words were cut off as Kiba stepped even closer, his fist now drawn back to punch her.

She flinched, closing her eyes and bracing herself for the pain. A large 'crack' sounded, but there was no pain. She peeked her eyes open and stared as she saw Naruto in front of her, staggering after having taken the punch for her.

Naruto staggered, his knees buckling as pain blossomed from his jaw and spotted his vision with black. Fuck, Kiba punched hard now. He knew that if the punch had landed on Sakura, the girl would've been knocked out immediately. He finally couldn't stand the pain and collapsed on the floor as his three brothers rushed forward to help him.

"Idiot!" Sasuke whacked Kiba over the head, "Couldn't you have stopped?" The three, Shika, Kiba, and Sasuke, were kneeling next to a rather woozy blonde who was clutching his left jaw and cheek.

Iruka rushed forward, having seen his godson take a punch from the bitch – not that he would say it aloud, he was a teacher, after all. He had just been watching from the sidelines, knowing that interfering on Naruto's behalf would do more harm than good, but this was just too much!

Iruka knelt next to the blonde and gently removed the hand that was cradling the injured jaw and cheek. He ran his fingers lightly over the injured area and sighed in relief when he realized that there was no real harm done.

"He'll just have a bruise, there's nothing broken." Iruka told the anxious boys at his side before glaring at the one in the middle. "Detention after school, Kiba. Don't go around punching people, okay?"

"Hai," Kiba sighed, willing to accept the punishment since he felt guilty for hitting his otouto. He looked down at Naruto. "Are you okay? (a nod from said blonde) Why did you take the punch for a bitch like her?" He started growling at the end and shot a glare and the pink haired girl.

Naruto's words were simple. "I don't want to see anyone hurt, anymore."

Kiba's eyes narrowed before he continued his interrogation. "Then, why do you want to be friends with her even after all she's done to you? She tried to kill you, dammit, so she doesn't deserve to have friends. She should go through the same pain you went through!"

Naruto's eyes widened at the last part before he began to shake his head furiously, aggravating his tender cheek and jaw. He winced, cupping the injured flesh slightly before sighing. "Kiba-nii, I don't want to see anyone hurt anymore…I know what being bullied and ostracized feels like, and it hurts. No one deserves to go through that, and I don't want to see anyone go through that, especially if I can stop it." His voice was almost a whisper towards the end. He knew that it sounded preachy but he meant every word of it.

The class was silent, including Iruka. All the girls other than sakura were crying, and a good number of boys had tears in their eyes. Through his kindness and acceptance even after experiencing so much pain, he had made everyone in the class love the blonde as a little brother…except for Sakura, though.

Kiba sighed, giving in to the blonde. He couldn't empathize with the blonde and _understand_ but he would do anything to make his otouto happy. Still, he couldn't help shooting a dark glare at the pink haired girl. He growled, "I hate you for everything you've done to my otouto, especially since all you do in try to hurt him even though all he's done is forgive you and attempt to become friends with you. He forgives you, Haruno Sakura, but you'd do well to remember that I do not, and never will. I rarely forgive, and never forget."

"We're in agreement then," Sasuke cut in and Shikamaru nodded his agreement. The two had fierce scowls on their faces, and while it was normal on the former's face, it was utterly scary and forbidding on the usually calm Shikamaru.

A soft snore brought their attention back to the blonde who was lying on the floor with his head in Iruka's lap. Iruka smiled at the three before explaining, "He didn't sleep at all last night because he was nervous about coming back to Konoha after three years of being gone. He must be relieved now that everything is, um, _sort of _settled."

The three stared at the peaceful blonde who was calmly sleeping after raising total chaos in their class in a mere – they glanced up at the clock – ten minutes. Perplexed and bemused expression crossed their faces…it seemed as if the blonde was still as surprising as ever…

OooOooOoOooOooO

This chapter is for GrimmIchiUlqui21, Miyuki1393, MegadeathSlice, TigrezzTail, EPICNESS RULES, Darklife21, loveyouemokid (Guest), Rennousuke, and darkhuntressxir. Thank you guys so much for reviewing this story!

And to you guys who followed or favorited this story, ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU!

Review please and tell me what you think~

Thanks for reading~~

**~yaoilovelove**


	3. ii : His Mystery

Summary: After three years, Naruto is finally back in Konoha…where everybody hates him. He has no choice but to continue his act where nothing matters and hope that sooner or later, they'll accept him. AU, some OOC, M/M later on

ItaNaru; one-sided SasuNaru, KibaNaru, and ShikaNaru (though these three are more like overprotective big brothers with an innocent little sister); KakaIru; NejiGaara; Kiba, Sasuke, and Shikamaru will have relationships eventually, though I am not sure which people yet. Oh, adding this now, but there was past NaruGaara.

Warning: bullying, violence, yaoi in later chapters, cursing (language)

Naruto: 15

Shikamaru: 15

Kiba: 15

Sasuke: 15

"blah blah" – speaking

"_blah blah" _– thinking

OooOooOoOooOooO

"**Cracked Mask of Innocence"**

OooOooOoOooOooO

Chapter Two: _His Mystery_

OooOooOoOooOooO

_It felt as if he was floating…where was he? Was someone calling him? Where…? What was this? So tired…he was just so tired…so much pain vaguely remembered… Couldn't he just stay here, where it seemed to blanket him in warmth…no, he didn't want to remember…_

OooOooOoOooOooO

Sapphire eyes opened and a hand came up to blearily wipe at them, rubbing away the fuzziness. _'Where is this?'_ Naruto was dazed, staring up at a white ceiling with fluorescent lights. There seemed to be a heavy weight on his arm. Slowly, he turned his head to the side and searched for the source of the weight. He was met with two heads slumped forward on the covers. Turning to the left, he was met with another.

'_Where is this?'_ He tilted his head to the side, his eyes falling to half mast. His eyes shot open as the events from earlier slowly came back to him. _'Oh right, I got punched by Kiba-nii…ehhh, I must have fallen asleep…ehe,'_ Naruto grinned sheepishly to himself. _'Maah, I'm so embarrassing…'_

Careful not to disturb his three brothers, he slid out of the bed and eased them one by one onto the bed. It wasn't that hard, since his super strength had only increased over the years. Smiling to himself, Naruto figured that they must have fallen asleep while they were watching over him.

"Heh, they're still the same as ever, neh?" Naruto giggled quietly to himself. He leaned forward and slowly slid the covers over them. It was probably to be on the safe side than to risk them catching a cold. Shivering slightly, Naruto missed the heat from being in the bed. Spotting a school jacket hanging off the chair, he grabbed it and pulled it on.

'This must be the infirmary," Naruto realized as he looked around. Peeking around the curtain that surrounded the infirmary bed, he saw that there was no one there. _'It must be the lunch break,'_ he mused, seeing that the clock was showing that it was half past noon. Half past noon…wait! Then he'd slept for the past three hours?

He whirled around. Those three idiots must've skipped class to stay here! Argh! He was going to give them a sound scolding for skipping class because of him…aaaaaah, those _idiots_!

Now that he was awake, he should probably look for Iruka-sensei. Checking on his three idiotic and older brothers one last time, he slid the infirmary door open and walked out. Sliding the door closed with a quiet swish, he leaned his forehead against the door in exhaustion for a second before turning around.

He walked down the hall, staring at the signs above the doors. _Year 1- class A…Year 1- class A…Year 1-class A…ah! There it was!_

Naruto slid the door open a tiny bit and peeked in to observe a bit. It seemed that everyone was on lunch break too.

"Naruto, you're up already?" Iruka's voice sounded next to Naruto, shocking him enough that he jumped, letting out a very unmanly squeak. He banged his head on the wall and fell in a graceless heap on the floor.

"Ite-te-te-te…." Naruto moaned. "Iruka-sensei, onegai, don't surprise me like that…" He slowly stood up, wincing at the pain shooting through his head.

"Gomen, gomen." Iruka laughed. "Where are the other three?" It seemed like the blonde was back to full health and energy.

"Heh, still sleeping. I woke up so I thought I should probably come back to class." Naruto smiled at his godfather sheepishly. Iruka returned that smile with a kind smile.

"It's alright, just go hang out somewhere else and relax for the rest of the day. Stay in school, but you don't have to come to class for today, neh? Do some catching up with those three; you really want to, don't you?" Iruka slowly shooed the petite blonde away from the door before opening it. Before he entered, he looked back at Naruto. "Just relax for a while, Naruto. You need to take a break, especially after all that…"

Naruto flinched before nodding slowly. He turned and trudged down the hallway toward the stairs. Iruka stared after him and shook his head sadly. He turned back to the classroom…he had a class to teach after all.

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Naruto found himself on the rooftop of the school building. He had explored the whole building – there were many empty rooms – but it seemed that his nature still called out to the rooftop after all.

There was a nice breeze and it ruffled his bangs. The rest of his hair had been tied back, but the end also swayed in the breeze. His eyes were closed, head slightly tilted back as he just simply enjoyed the wind playing along his tanned skin.

His eyes opened and he smiled out at the world. Yes, this was a good place to spend time at, especially if he wanted to contemplate something. He already knew that he'd be spending plenty of time up here. Closing his eyes again, he smiled to himself. Maybe, this wouldn't be so hard after all…

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_Three hours later…_

The door to the rooftop banged open and three bodies nearly collapsed as they tumbled through the doorway. Naruto turned around and stared at them with an eyebrow raised. Were they turning into him now?

Kiba, Shikamaru, and Sasuke lay down, panting and gasping for breath. They had woken up in the infirmary, ridiculously piled into one bed and with a certain blonde nowhere to be seen. They had then raced back to the classroom to look when they had been informed by Iruka-sensei that he had given the blonde a day off and that he had told him to stay on school grounds. However, the end of school bell had already rang, so the blonde may have already left. The three boys had then raced around the school building, earning quite a few perplexed looks. They had been just about to give up when they remembered the blonde's habit of straying towards the school roof. Now, said blonde was staring at them with an amused smirk on his face.

"Ara, so you found me." Naruto's voice was full of amusement as he stared at the pile of tired boys. It seemed that they had tired themselves out.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you, Naruto?" Sasuke growled. "Making us run around the school building…we were even about to search through the middle school division."

"Ufufu, I don't know what you're talking about," Naruto snickered like a schoolgirl. "Though you guys should be grateful that I didn't leave school yet, huh? Otherwise it would have been a total waste. Though it was fun watching you guys scamper around."

Kiba walked over to Naruto and looked down. "Gah, you had the perfect view of us and you never bothered to call out?! Damn gaki, what the heck?" Kiba's voice was pissed, though there was a playful tone hidden in it. Naruto heard it and grinned.

"So troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed. "We didn't remember until after going through the whole building that you preferred the roof."

"But you remembered, didn't you?" Naruto's voice lost any hint of play, and hinted at melancholy instead.

All three grunted in agreement and a serious mood took over them. They stepped closer to the blonde and smiled at him.

"A few hours late…but welcome back, Naru-otouto." The three smiled at Naruto, who beamed back at them.

"Un, it's been three years, Sasu-nii, Kiba-nii, Shika-nii." Naruto smiled. "It's good to be back."

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A few hours passed with them exchanging small talk about how their three years had passed. Kiba and Sasuke had gone into sports, and joined teams during its season. They were the aces of the teams they had joined. Shikamaru had joined a few culture clubs, playing Go and shogi and the like. He was even learning how to play international chess.

While questions were asked about Naruto, the conversation mainly revolved around the older three. Whenever a probing question towards Naruto appeared, he would always deftly direct the topic towards one of them. They noticed, but didn't comment on it.

They learned small things like the fact that Naruto was actually a professional patisserie now, having taken classes over the three years. He had also been on several of the same sports teams as Sasuke and had made it the finals at the nationals. Any questions that went any deeper, though, were left unanswered.

"Neh, Naru-chan." Shikamaru caught the attention of the blonde. "Stand up and let me stare at you like the creep I am. We haven't seen you in three years and you've really changed. Let me look at you properly, since we never got the chance."

Naruto giggled. "You sound like an old man, Shika-nii." He stood anyways, complying to the 'creep's request.

The three felt their breath catch at the appearance of the petite blonde. They had been so rushed before, that they hadn't had a proper look at their otouto.

His body had grown, and he was taller now, but still shorter than they were. He was slim and slightly muscled, his skin smooth enough that any girl would sigh in envy. He was petite, and would be mistaken for a girl very easily with his body.

His golden hair had grown, and it was long now. It reached his hips and was tied back in a loose, low ponytail with a leather tie. It was swaying in the breeze, and in the sunlight, it looked like spun golden silk. It looked soft enough that, once again, any girl would sigh in envy and wish that that hair was hers.

His face had changed too. It had lost its baby fat, but was still rounder than any males'. His features seemed delicate, exactly like a girls. His eyes were big too, like a girl's, and tilted upwards at the outer edges, making the blonde seem exotic. His nose was straight, and dainty. His lips were full and stretched in a smile. The scars on his cheeks were like whiskers and only emphasized and added to the beauty of his face. His bangs framed his face almost perfectly.

As Naruto stood against the rays of the, now setting, sun, he looked ethereal, unreal. He was beautiful, and seemingly otherworldly.

The three boys sighed deeply in unison, causing the blonde to look at them in utter confusion. "Wh-what?" he demanded. "I'm not that ugly, am I?" Another deep sigh followed his words, and he pouted.

"Gee, we really have our work cut out for us, neh Sasuke?" Kiba sighed.

"Ugh, I'm so not looking forward to this…" Sasuke moaned at the thought of what was to come.

"So troublesome…but we have to do it, since no one else will." Shikamaru groaned in reply.

"WHAT?" Naruto demanded. "What are you talking about?" W-was he really that ugly?

As he was met with three extremely blank stares, Naruto felt overcome with the desire to take something and whack the three extremely hard on the head.

"How clueless can someone be?" Sasuke whispered to the other two. They nodded and sighed again.

A tick formed above Naruto's left eye…this was so annoying. What the hell were they blabbing about? And now they were calling him 'clueless'? That was just them asking for a beating…

_Thwack. Bam. Crunch._ His fist met with the top of three heads, extremely hard. Naruto clenched his fist tightly and smiled sweetly at his three idiotic brothers. "Care to tell me what you mean now?" He continued smiling, seemingly gentle and caring.

'_When'd he become such a good actor?'_ The other three thought collectively. Shikamaru sighed, "It's too troublesome, so one of you explain it…"

Kiba shook his head furiously, "I'm not doing it; I don't feel like getting beaten up just for this."

Sasuke shuddered. He contemplated for a while as three pairs of eyes stared at him. "Naaaw, Shikamaru, you do it since you're the best at explaining." He grinned at the lazy boy, who sighed in defeat.

"So troublesome," Shikamaru sighed. "Listen Naruto…wait, give me a minute." The brunette turned to the other two. "How do we explain it?" he whispered. "Just how do you explain to someone that they're so pretty – prettier than just about any girl – that there'll be hordes of girls _and_ boys after him?" The three were totally stumped, lost in their own thoughts until a shadow fell over them.

"Aaaaaah, so I'm pretty, huh?" Naruto pondered. He was silent, stroking his 'beard' with his eyes closed, contemplating Shikamaru's statement. Finally, he just ended up glaring at the three, who were still sitting on the floor. "How the fuck am I _pretty_?" he demanded. "I'm not some fluttery schoolgirl! Aren't I normal looking?"

Once again, Naruto was met with three blank stares that were filled with pity and disbelief.

"Naruto, let me ask you a few questions, neh?" Shikamaru demanded suddenly. A pause and he was rewarded with an uncertain nod from the blonde.

"Have you ever had letters shoved in your locker?"

"Y-yeah, but weren't those pranks and insults and stuff?"

_Siiiiiigh…_ "Have you gotten a lot of chocolates during Valentine's Day?"

"Um, yeah, but not until last year and I thought they were poisoned so I threw them out…"

_Siiiiiigh…_ "Then, have you ever been called out? And was it a boy or a girl?"

"Many times…and I'd say more boys than girls, but I thought it was some sort of challenge for a fight so I would always decline immediately…"

Shikamaru cocked his head to the side. "A fight? Why?"

Naruto looked flustered suddenly and he waved his hands around furiously. "Ah, n-nothing much. I thought it was just for insulting me, or s-something…" His voice trailed off at the end and he avoided eye contact with the three of them.

"I don't get it Shika, Sasuke…is he just retarded or totally innocent?" Kiba moaned towards the other two, who were utterly flabbergasted. How could someone be so clueless?

"Eh, nani?" Naruto tilted his head to the side innocently, confused. What were they talking about?

"Naruto." Shikamaru went into 'serious' mode. His face was stern – in an imitation of Iruka-sensei – and his voice was flat.

"H-hai?" Naruto was taken off guard with the sudden seriousness and he couldn't help the slight stutter in his voice.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend, or a girlfriend?"

"H-hai?" Naruto stuttered again. "I mean, I have a lot of friends? Why?"

The other three mentally face-palmed. Though this wasn't enough to determine whether Naruto was innocent or stupid…it was…there was really no word for it…

"I meant, boyfriend and girlfriend, as in you do stuff like kissing and intimate stuff you wouldn't do with your regular friends…to put it simply, have you kissed or had sex yet?" Shikamaru was at his limit for talking too much and he had to put it simply or it would have dragged on forever.

"K-kissing…or s-s-s-s-sex?" Naruto turned beet red, completely embarrassed. How did he tell them that he had had sex before? And multiple times? And with a guy rather than a girl? The best option would probably be to avoid the question the best he could.

Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Kiba watched his reaction with narrowed eyes before coming to a conclusion. Yes, he must be innocent! With that resolved, they no longer pursued the issue and simultaneously sighed and collapsed. That had been so troublesome… (They are soooo far off right now…)

"Oiiiiii," Naruto whined. "You still haven't explained what you were talking about before! Tell me. Tell me!" He was pouting, annoyed that they hadn't answered him in so long. Seriously, what was their problem?

Shikamaru sighed. "We meant what we said, Naruto. Your looks are top class, and if we groom you a bit, you could even be mistaken as a female model. And we all know that both girls and boys chase after pretty or hot things, so you'll be chased…fiercely…this is gonna be so _troublesome_."

Naruto sat down, pondering. So he was pretty? No one had ever said that to him before…like, sure, he'd had sex before, but none of his lovers had ever said something like that to him. Ehe…maybe that was because he always went for the silent ones, well the silent ones always went for him. He couldn't help but mentally face-palm. This was utterly ridiculous.

"Haaah, now that we've gotten all that settled, let's go home." Kiba stood up and stretched. Shikamaru stood up as well and whacked him on the head. "What do you mean 'we've gotten this settled'? It was more like _I_ got this settled and you two just sat on the sidelines!" he demanded, readying to punch Kiba again. Sasuke was sitting on the side, safe from any punches and smirking the 'trademark Uchiha' smirk.

Naruto started to snicker and began laughing full out at his brothers' antics, making the three pause and stare at him. "Pffuuhuhuhsst…you guys haven't changed at all, huh?" He couldn't help smiling. He hadn't realized how much he had missed his brothers during these three years, but it was all coming to him now. He really loved the three of them.

Shikamaru, Kiba, and Sasuke smiled back at the blonde. "You haven't changed at all too, Naruto." Shikamaru grinned. "You're totally the same." The other two found themselves nodding in complete agreement.

Naruto's smile faltered. He stood up and walked back over to the side of the roof, staring down at the few students that were still milling around. Shikamaru and Sasuke caught onto the dark mood that was taking over the blonde and exchanged looks over Kiba's head. They turned their gaze back towards the blonde who seemed to be contemplating.

"I think I've changed completely now…I wonder where the old 'me' went…" It was just a whisper but both Sasuke and Shikamaru caught it. What was Naruto talking about?

As they observed the blonde, they noticed that he didn't seem to be there at all. His eyes seemed distant, as if he were in a different place with different people. He was staring off into space, and yet it didn't seem to be just any daydream as his eyes were filled with pain. Their eyes met again and they couldn't help but think:

'_Just what happened to Naruto during these past three years?'_

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How was it? Good? Bad? Please let me know! I really have no self confidence in my writing…so please tell me what you think… TT-TT onegai…

**~yaoilovelove**


	4. iii : His Secret

Summary: After three years, Naruto is finally back in Konoha…where everybody hates him. He has no choice but to continue his act where nothing matters and hope that sooner or later, they'll accept him. AU, some OOC, M/M later on

For now, this is going to be a complicated GaaraNaru and GaaraNeji. I know I said that this was going to be ItaNaru, but right now I really don't know where this story is going…

Warning: bullying, violence, yaoi in later chapters, cursing (language)

Naruto/Shikamaru/Kiba/Sasuke: 15

Gaara/Neji: 16

"blah blah" – speaking

"_blah blah" _– thinking

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"**Cracked Mask of Innocence"**

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Chapter Three: _His Secret_

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The trip leaving school was full of chatter between the hyperactive blonde and a brash Kiba. They laughed and romped together, talking about nonsensical things. Shikamaru and Sasuke both hung back and watched the scene ahead with slight smirks and extreme amusement. During that moment, it seemed as if nothing had happened at all, and they had never changed.

The wind was strong, ruffling their hair. It was most annoying for Naruto, whose long hair would always tangle up in even a slightly strong breeze. Thankfully he had tied it up earlier. Suddenly, the blonde felt something tugging at the leather tie that held up his hair before his hair fell completely loose, the wind whipping it back and forth. Oh _hell_ no…

The blonde whipped around to yell at Kiba but was blinded as his hair flew into his face and eyes. He sputtered as some got into his mouth and began to stumble. His foot slipped and his eyes widened as he tumbled onto the street.

Naruto froze as he heard a screech and desperate honking, his mind going back to that day. He couldn't move; he was going to die. Maybe after all that time, after all he'd done, it was finally karma getting back at him.

He closed his eyes, willingly accepting his death; after all, there was nothing left for him to strive for. He suddenly felt strong and muscled arms scoop him up into a familiar embrace before he and the other person sailed into the air and landed heavily on what felt like the sidewalk.

A familiar scent met his nose as familiar hands began gently brushing the hair from his face. His eyes stayed wide open, waiting to see the other person. He was pulled into someone's lap, his head resting on his shoulder. It couldn't be _him_…

With his vision finally cleared, Naruto gasped sharply, his vision filling with tears at the sight of crimson hair and emerald eyes. He flung his arms around the older male, burying his face into the other's neck, sobbing as he finally let loose all those emotions that had piled up since two years ago, when Gaara had left.

"Gaara…" Naruto's voice was no more that a whisper, but it was full of longing, love, and suppressed pain. The blonde's breath hitched as strong arms circled around his waist, and a hand began tangling slightly in the blonde hair. Naruto could care less that he was sitting in a boy's lap in the middle of the street – he was with _Gaara_ again for the first time in a year.

Pounding feet was dimly heard by the blonde but he merely tightened his grip not wanting to let go. He knew it was Sasu-nii, Shika-chan, and Kiba but it didn't matter right now. Nothing mattered except that he was with Gaara again.

Gaara looked up at the teens surrounding him, three unfamiliar and the other familiar and extremely pissed. He sighed as he looked down at the clinging blonde that he still held in his arms. This was about to get extremely complicated.

The three boys, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Kiba, all recognized the other two teens. Sabaku no Gaara and Hyuuga Neji were famous upperclassmen at their school. And currently, the latter teen was glaring daggers at their otouto.

"May I ask why you're clinging to _my boyfriend_ like that?" Neji's voice was full of venom directed towards the stupid blonde boy that was clinging to his Gaara. His silver eyes met the green eyes of the other teen and Gaara shook his head at him, silently telling him not to make a scene. This only further incensed the already pissed teen.

Neji grabbed the blonde hair and pulled backwards, ignoring the pained cry from the younger teen. He was fucking jealous and his vision was tinted red.

"Let me repeat myself one more time…what the fuck do you think you're doing, clinging to my boyfriend like that?" Neji snarled, leaning in close to the blonde who had tears in his eyes.

Naruto felt like his breath had been knocked out of his chest with some sort of hammer. Gaara, the one he loved, had already forgotten about him and was going out with someone else? His eyes had widened at Neji's statement and tears were now silently sliding down his cheeks. He didn't even bother looking at Neji, who still had a firm grip in his hair.

Sapphire eyes were locked onto emerald ones, and Naruto was silently leaking tears that slowly slid down his cheeks faster and faster as he realized that it was true. That Gaara – the only one he had trusted and loved back _there_ – had finally left him…

Neji was slowly getting more and more exasperated as he watched the blonde stare at his boyfriend and his boyfriend stared back. He pulled on the long golden hair again, reveling internally at the whimper of pain from the petite teen.

Naruto jerked his hair out of the older teen's grasp and he hurriedly wiped away his tears with the back of his uninjured hand. He had scrapes and bruises all over his body, but it would heal soon. He smiled apologetically at the fuming black haired teen.

"Ah, I'm so sorry! I was just so shocked that I almost died from that truck and he saved me so I was a bit hysterical there." Naruto babbled, smiling in a way that made Neji feel like he was in the wrong. "And he – ah, sorry, you saved my life and I still don't know your name – he looks so much like someone I know that I got confused…" Naruto trailed off as he suddenly looked confused.

"Ow…my head hurts…" The blonde frowned in confusion. "That's weird; did I hit my head or something?"

Neji cut the babbling blonde off. "So do you know my boyfriend or not? Or were you just clinging on to him because you were shocked?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Gomen, gomen, I was just really shocked. I don't…know him… at all…" At the last part, Naruto was staring into emerald eyes that had once looked at him with care. He felt tears begin dripping down his face again.

Naruto whirled around to face the other direction. "Ah…I'm really sorry…" With a few choked off words, the blonde began running off towards another part of town. His hair was still loose so it trailed behind him, whipping in the wind that had increased in strength.

It wasn't his hair that blinded his vision this time; it was the sting of tears that poured down his face as he tore away from Gaara, who had deserted him even after all those promises of being together forever. Of course, he had already broken it a year ago, when he had left, but it was this that rang of finality. It seemed like Naruto was all alone again.

Gaara stared after the blonde, pain resounding in his chest. He had only seen Naruto cry like that one other time and it hadn't been his fault that time. But now that the cause of Naruto's pain was him, he felt like tearing into something to take away the pain.

Neji was still pissed and his voice showed it as he spoke to Gaara. "Oi, Gaara, we're leaving. That blonde bitch just wasted so much time."

Gaara really couldn't help it. He saw red. No one – _no one_ – was allowed to speak about Naruto like that. He smacked away Neji's hand and stood up. He was more petite than the Hyuuga, but much more intimidating when he felt the need for it.

"Leave me alone, Hyuuga." Gaara hissed at the black haired teen, wanting to get this over with so he could chase after Naruto.

Neji was flabbergasted. What the fuck? Had Gaara just told him to fuck off? What the hell was going on? His pale eyes glared back at the red head, silently demanding an answer.

"You have no right to talk to him or talk about him like that. We're over." Gaara didn't feel the need to mention that he had never actually loved the Hyuuga. It had all been to forget the blonde that hadn't left his mind since he had left Tokyo so many years ago.

"What the fuck, Subaku?" Neji yelled. "Who the fuck is that blonde bitch to you anyways? He's nothing but a slut!"

In an instant, Neji found himself pinned to the wall of the building next to the sidewalk. He stared into furious emerald eyes and couldn't help the shiver of fear crossing his spine.

"Don't call him that." The words were growled with the intention to maim and kill if disobeyed. Gaara released the Hyuuga, who slowly slid down the wall before landing on his two feet.

Gaara turned and was about to give chase to the blonde and explain everything but two of the three teens who had been there from the start moved forward and blocked his path.

Kiba shook his head. "We're not trying to antagonize you; we just want to know what you want with our Naruto before you go chasing after him. We already have Sasuke chasing him, so we don't really need you especially since the reason Naruto was crying was because of you."

Gaara shook his head and inwardly snarled. He didn't have time to deal with this shit. He stepped forward and moved around the two teens in his path.

"I'm not staying to answer your questions. If you really want answers that badly, then keep up." With that said, he took off.

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Sasuke was running after Naruto, who seemed to be running in no distinct direction. Even he, Uchiha Sasuke, was having trouble with keeping up to Naruto's pace, let alone catching the blonde. When had the younger boy gotten so fast?

His dark eyes were trained on the whipping blonde hair that was being tossed around by the wind as Naruto ran. The blonde darted in and out of view as he began turning corners. Suddenly the blonde turned another corner, and when Sasuke turned right after him, the dark haired boy was met with an empty street.

"Fuck," he bit out. Damn Naruto for being so fast, but where had the blonde gone? Running a hand through his hair agitatedly, Sasuke pulled out his phone and hit in a few numbers before bringing it up to his ear. Two rings sounded before the other person picked up.

"_Hello?_"

"It's Sasuke. I lost Naruto. He's too damn fast." Sasuke snapped into the phone, his nerves frayed as worry took over his mind.

"_Got it. We'll meet up with you._"

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Shikamaru hung up his phone before he stopped running and turned to Kiba. "He lost him."

Kiba cursed and punched the wall next to him as he tried to think of all the places the blonde would go to when he was upset. He looked up and saw that the Sabaku was gone.

"Shit!" he cried. "Now he's gone too!"

Shikamaru glanced in the same direction that Kiba was glaring before sighing. This was so troublesome. Where had their otouto gone?

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Naruto was running and running. Running away from the pain, away from the hurt, and away from the fear of loneliness. It hurt and he hated it. He was running up the hill, his feet slipping slightly on the rocks.

It wasn't until he realized where he was that he stopped running. He walked on top of the monument and paused a moment before stepping forward and sitting down on his father's head. He let himself fall onto his side and he lay there, curled up with his knees drawn to his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around them.

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Gaara was running desperately. He knew where the blonde would go – it was always somewhere high up with a view of the town or city beneath. There was only one place like that in Konoha and he was sprinting towards his destination.

When he had left Naruto in Tokyo a year ago, he had felt his heart splitting. The enthusiastic blonde had been the only one to ever get into his heart…not even that Hyuuga had managed to do that.

Even after a year, Gaara had still woken up with haunting dreams of golden hair, sapphire eyes, and miles of tan skin. Whispers haunted his sleeping hours and invaded his waking…whispers of his name and of love for him.

The relationship with the Hyuuga had been nothing but a last ditch attempt to forget the blonde and now it had come to fuck with him, now that the blonde he loved more than anything had been hurt by it.

He had thought that Naruto had forgotten about him, having never receiving any communication from the blonde. He had thought the other had moved on from him, when he was still stuck thinking of the blonde.

Gaara reached the top of the Hokage monument and paused slightly, leaning on his knees and panting. His eyes zeroed in on the small figure curled up on the top of the Yondaime's head and his heart broke again at how alone the petite blonde looked.

The redhead stepped forward once, twice, before he was sprinting towards the blonde. The sounds of sobs reached his ears and he desperately fell at the blonde's side, kneeling before gathering up the small, shaking frame in his arms.

Naruto froze at the arms that encircled him and he looked up at the one holding him. Seeing that it was Gaara holding him, he immediately tried to push away from the embrace, tears falling down his face even harder.

Gaara merely tightened his grip, refusing to let _his_ Naruto go. He clutched at the blonde desperately, afraid to let the blonde go.

"L-let me go," Naruto sobbed as he finally gave up the fight, his hands reaching up to curl up in the back of Gaara's shirt. "Y-you're dating that black-haired guy, a-aren't you?"

Gaara finally pulled away and Naruto immediately took that as rejection and he began to move away. The firm grip on his upper arms didn't allow him to move away any further. Gaara shook the blonde slightly.

"Look at me, Naruto." Gaara's voice was firm and Naruto looked up shakily, sapphire meeting emerald. The blonde gasped at the pure emotion in those green eyes and tears spilled out of his own blue eyes again.

"I never stopped loving you, Naruto…I couldn't…I only dated Hyuuga because I was trying to forget you…because I thought you already moved on from m-me…" The redhead's voice broke slightly at the end and Naruto's eyes widened. D-did it mean?

"Yes, Naruto…" Gaara whispered, drawing the blonde tightly against him as he read the question in those blue, blue eyes. "I love you."

Naruto's eyes closed at the words, his tears finally stopping as two last tears trailed out from his eyes. He leaned into Gaara, his arms finally moving to grasp at the redhead almost desperately.

"W-why?" Naruto whispered. "Why did you think I moved on? You know that no one other than you and our group liked me back in Tokyo…"

Gaara closed his eyes. "You never contacted me, Naruto."

Naruto pushed backwards slightly to stare into emerald eyes. "You were the one that left me alone. I-I thought you didn't want me to contact you, so I didn't…gomen…gomene, Gaara."

Arms tightened around Naruto again as Gaara pulled the blonde back to his chest.

"I love you, Naruto…I love you so much it hurts…"

"Un, daisuki, Gaara."

Their relationship had been a secret back in Tokyo, since the people there already hated Naruto enough…but here…Gaara was damned if he would let someone steal Naruto from him…

"You're mine, Naruto…mine and no one else's…"

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A/N: Was this okay? You like? Please tell me what you think!

**~yaoilovelove**


	5. iv : His Desperation

Summary: After three years, Naruto is finally back in Konoha…where everybody hates him. He has no choice but to continue his act where nothing matters and hope that sooner or later, they'll accept him. AU, definitely OOC, M/M later on, RAPE…maybe?

**For now, this is going to be a complicated GaaraNaru. I know I said that this was going to be ItaNaru, but right now I really don't know where this story is going…more likely than not, Itachi will come in later…**

Warning: Naaaw…this chapter's relatively calm…in my opinion…

Naruto/Shikamaru/Kiba/Sasuke: 15

Gaara/Neji: 16

"blah blah" – speaking

"_blah blah" _– thinking

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"**Cracked Mask of Innocence"**

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Chapter Four: _His Desperation…_

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They were in his penthouse, on the fiftieth floor of the tallest and richest building complex in Konoha, lying side by side on his king-sized bed, doing nothing but staring into each other's eyes. Sapphire stared into emerald; emerald stared into sapphire. There were no words spoken between them as they merely shared their trust and love for each other through the flickers in their eyes.

The room was completely still, quiet save for the light breathing of the two teens. No movement occurred until Gaara drew Naruto into his grasp, wrapping his arms firmly around the slim frame, hands tangling into loose blonde hair as he pulled off the tie that held it up.

One hand caressed the back of his head, the other wrapped around his slim waist. Gaara buried his face into Naruto's neck, breathing in the smell that he had longed after for a whole year – the smell of the wind and light citrus that was purely Naruto.

"Damn you, Naruto," he whispered. "Damn you for making me feel this way, for making me finally understand what it's like to love and to be loved. Damn you."

Naruto froze at those words before tearing himself out of the grasp of the one he loved. Tears filled his eyes, but he valiantly held them back, refusing to let them fall. He scrambled off his bed, backing towards the door as the redhead sat up slowly. He hadn't known that Gaara hadn't wanted to feel this way…that Gaara didn't feel the way he did…

"Gomen…gomenasai…a-ano, I'll be going to take a shower, so you can leave while I'm showering…I-I won't b-bother you anymo-more….g-gomenasai…" He darted out of the door leaving a stunned redhead behind.

Gaara's eyes narrowed as he slid off the bed smoothly. He stalked towards the door, following the path of the blonde, and slammed the door open, letting it bang into the wall, and strode into the rather large bathroom. His eyes narrowed even further as he was met with the sight of Naruto sitting on the tiles, sobbing into his knees.

Naruto looked up fearfully as the door was thrust open, his eyes widening as they met the sight of an extremely pissed Gaara who stalked forward like a predator hunting its prey. Naruto attempted to scoot away from the redhead, but only the cold, tiled wall met his back. He tensed as the redhead came closer, throwing up his arms to protect himself from the blow.

It never came….Naruto cracked one eye open to fearfully glance at the older teen. His eyes both widened as he saw the pure pain and hurt in those eyes. He moved forward slightly, stretching a hand to brush against the other's grey skinny jeans. "G-Gaara–"

"I can see how much you trust me now, Uzumaki." Gaara's voice was quiet – so quiet that Naruto had to strain to hear it – but was filled with bitterness. Naruto flinched back at the pain in that voice but a sharp pain filled his heart at the way he was addressed and his mouth opened – to speak, to yell…he didn't know – as the redhead turned abruptly and left the bathroom.

Naruto scrambled hurriedly to his feet to chase after the redhead. A bang sounded down the hall, signaling Gaara's leave. He ran, stumbling as his foot caught on the rug at the entranceway and stooped slightly to grab his shoes, never pausing in his near sprint.

"G-Gaara…matte!" Naruto shouted at the back of the older teen as he stepped into the elevator. The doors closed just as Naruto reached them and he cursed, slamming his fist into the wall next to the metal doors and ran towards the stairs.

He ran, ran so fast yet couldn't feel any pain, and exhaustion. His mind was filled with only one thought – to reach Gaara…to reach him and…and do what? Beg for his love? For forgiveness? What did he really want? What did Gaara want? Oh god, it hurt. He couldn't control the feelings spiraling within his chest as tears spilled onto scarred cheeks, his legs pumping with effort.

Down a flight…turn…down a flight…turn…down a flight…turn…down a flight…turn…down a flight…turn…down a flight…turn…down a flight….the stairs seemed endless as he prayed for them to end – for him to run faster so he could reach the one who had stolen his heart…the one who had stalked into his life and proceeded to steal all the trust and love from Naruto that he could give, stealing his soul on the way…the one he knew he belonged with…

What could one do except follow one's soul?

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_Don't follow your head for it has no heart; don't follow your heart for it has no logic; follow your soul, for it has both._

_- Nishan Panwar_

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Matte - wait

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A/N: I know this chapter was really short, but it seemed like a good place to end. I will update soon, I promise.

Let me explain, the building complex they were in is called the Hokage Towers and there are multiple buildings, connected by a series of walkways that connect the roofs. This information will probably be used sometime in the future…

And thank you to everyone who encouraged me to continue my story…both rudely and pleadingly…ehehehe…I'm truly grateful that you all like my stories and think that they are good when I myself have barely any confidence in them.

I tried to respond to all the reviews I got, but I missed some, including the guest reviews, but I read every single one and I love all of you for the reviews. Thank you very much and I will try my best from now on, dattebayo!

*snickers*

~_**yaoilovelove**_

_Ps: this story is completely unbeta-ed and unedited….just saying…._


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